Eric San’s life nowadays is all about “tripping over My Little Ponies.”

The 37-year-old turntablist/DJ better known as Kid Koala is now a father of two girls, Maple and Ruby, the latter born just a few months ago.

“I’m impressed by Maple’s ability to differentiate them [the ponies] by just the colour of their hair,” San says of his three-and-a-half year old daughter. “She probably gets it from me because people call me on that all the time: ‘How do you differentiate between all your records?’ ‘Oh, I can just tell from the colour of the centre sticker or whatever.’”

San’s latest project, Space Cadet, the soundtrack to a graphic novel of the same name, was admittedly inspired in part by Maple’s birth.

The graphic novel was originally conceptualized almost a decade ago when Kid Koala was DJing 250 cities a year. It’s the tale of a robot programmed to protect a girl astronaut who blasts off on a solo space adventure, leaving the robot to ponder his place in the universe.

It’s a bittersweet story about life and love told without words, both in audio form and on the page. It’s also miles away from Kid Koala’s past barrage of jazz and hip-hop heavy scratch-and-mash work found on albums like his 2000 classic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or 2006’s Your Mom’s Favorite DJ.

“It was on and off the front burner for years,” San says. “And it wasn’t until the anticipation of Maple’s arrival that it really kicked into gear. The Space Cadet soundtrack plays like a series of lullabies, mainly because she was often in the studio a few feet away from my turntables and piano. Underneath that, there was this idea of providing this comforting atmosphere for this child. It was trying to be in sync with everything, even her breathing — light and quiet and cosy. She was a direct muse and influence for this project especially.”

But while the music composed mainly on headphones is soft and spaced out, the story contained in the book reveals a certain questioning sadness.

The book isn’t necessarily one you would read to children, considering its rather mournful, flashback-heavy tone.

San admits the book came about at a time when he and his wife Corinne’s family were experiencing the loss of grandparents on both sides.

“There was a heaviness I had to deal with somehow,” San says.

“But with the birth of Maple it balanced it out. It didn’t erase it but it balanced it out. I still felt like I had to address everything somehow, and for whatever reason Space Cadet was always about that kind of life cycle even though it was written in 2004.”

That’s not to say the Space Cadet concert experience will be a complete downer, and the sets should include some Kid Koala classics and, perhaps, a hint or two from his new album 12 Bit Blues, which is slated for release Sept. 18.

That being said, Kid Koala’s forthcoming performances at the Vancouver jazz festival will be a unique opportunity to interact with San’s music like never before.

Each attendee will be given a set of wireless headphones and invited to be seated in a room filled with couch-like pods that will feel a bit like a “pop-up planetarium.”

“There’s two parts to it,” San explains. “First, there’s a kind of science fair/carnival/art gallery part that’s a bit of a social pre-party. We have space-themed games, my record sleeves from the ’50s and ’60s with actual space-age artwork, original panels from the book, and some vintage music equipment that kids of all ages can play with.

“Once we go into the pod room, that’s when everyone gets their own wireless headphone and you sit in these rows of inflatable back rests. It’s a very laid-back, chilled-out show where I can play some of these tunes which are quite delicate and nuanced. But even that part of the show is somewhat interactive: I’ll ask if kids wanna come up and help play bells. It’s a bit like going to the science fair and then going to storytelling at the library — if the librarian was a scratch DJ who knew how to play the piano as well.”

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